A HANDWRITTEN PROMISE
Rune Allister
If I were truly paying attention like I should have been, I would have been clued into a lot about Alduin's life. I forgive myself, because when I woke up, all I wanted was to get out of the cave he dragged me into. And after learning of his plans, how I'm to be rewarded, I didn't get a chance to go snooping. But now I know this dragon tearing after us through the thick, gray clouds is a friend of Alduin's, the picture is starting to come together.
"Alduin, you cannot desecrate my home! My people!" The dragon booms out in a deeper voice than even Alduin.
"Paarthurnax, dukaan, let me be. You were always too weak, sahlo, for my grace!" Alduin yells back, his words snatched by the air. I feel like an icicle from the way it brands my skin with the chill. Not even this armor can keep me from shivering. And for once, I can't tell if it's from the cold or the pure adrenaline one gets when hurling through the sky with a dragon chasing you.
Alduin dives, and my stomach drops. I yell against the wind as the ground comes ever closer. Its icy fingers rip the mask from my face. Alduin races faster to our destination, one of the many mountain ranges of Skryim. I'm about to yell at him to pull us up into the air. That we're about to hit the side of that big rock when he does what I want. He tears upwards.
My lips peel back from my face, I feel like I'm melting into myself with the force of going upwards when gravity wants me down on the ground. My eyes water and they feel close to rolling. The edges of my vision grow darker the longer we go up, tearing through the sky with his loud wings parting the clouds.
Fire flies past us and I yell, feeling like a fucking skeever on a spit here. One inch closer and I'm toast. A very vertigo induced, toast. Alduin dives again. My stomach goes flying and I barely take in the fact that there's vomit all over his leg now. He prolly doesn't mind.
Alduin swerves right. Then left. Taking us through the mountain range while this Paarthurnax follows closely. Fire licks next to me again and I watch Alduin's tail fly over it. One more stomach drop and Alduin pulls us up over the next mountain, dipping again so fast that I do feel like I lose consciousness for a moment.
A loud roar behind us, a few trees and it feels like we just arrived at Alduin's lair. I'm laid on the cold ground and turn my head to puke up my guts again at the thought of diving. I can't say it wasn't fun. But maybe next time it won't be so jarring.
"Kril Krivaan." Alduin's claw wraps around my body and he rolls me over to my back. I stare up with bleary eyes as his large face comes into focus. His eyes upturned and tongue almost lolling out. He looks pleased.
"We got away. Paarthurnax will not follow here. He cannot get too far from the Throat of the World."
I nod, barely listening. I just kind of want to go my bed. Drink a lot of water and throw it all up again. Have a nap. Or think about my princess in the snow. Thoughts of her swirl in my mind before Alduin breaks it. I thought he'd ask me about the Dragonborn and if I killed her. Instead, he gives me an amused laugh.
"Kril Krivaan. Assassin. Are you regretting your decision? Is a flight through the mountain pass while my enemy pursues us worth Ulfric Stormcloak's head?"
His name sears like wildfire through me. All this dragon had to do was conjure an image of the haughty Nord with a straight nose, cold eyes, and long hair. The man in the obsidian-colored coat. The way he got over the damn wall before me and took Torygg's life as easy as swatting a fly.
Fourteen thousand.
I grin, "Fuck yeah, it is. I'd do that a million times over as long as you get me what I want."
Alduin's booming laugh is the last thing I hear before finally letting my body, and my mind, rest.
Days later, after eating and drinking enough healing potions I'm sure it would cure the dead, I hear what really went down. Alduin was able to get into the monastery but only killed two of the Greybeards. He had to leave because the dying ones alerted Paarthurnax. I reluctantly told him of Elisif. He was pretty pissed I didn't go in to kill her, but I might have told a little white lie. I told him I had found her right before he took me away. Didn't have to tell him how long I sparred with her.
His searing eyes watch me. I can just see the gears of his mind working, thinking of Elisif impaled on a blade. "Is this true, Kril? Dovahkiin escaped?"
I nod, keeping my head bowed at the shitty bread and tasteless broth in front of me. Vivnasa might have some talents that I don't know about and don't care to know of, but she's certainly not meant for the culinary world. The stone table I sit at is a weird centerpiece but at least they have some furniture.
Alduin stares out at the world before him, to the rough peaks framing Skyrim's landscape. "I need to go resurrect my brethren."
"What?" I snap to attention, the eyes of Elisif fading away from my attention.
"Bring them back from the dead. The dragons." Alduin snaps.
"Right. That." I say, not really knowing what he's talking about. Yet, if he has the powers of necromancy, we might be in deeper shit than I previously thought.
"Kril. I will be gone for some time." Alduin hesitates, his brows drawing down tightly over his eyes. "I have a task for you."
I swallow some more of the stale broth. "If it gets me away from this food then I'm more than happy to help."
I hear Vivnasa sneer at me from her place leaning against the doorframe. Her freaky eyes never stray from my body. Alduin ignores her and continues to talk to us like he's not about to give us either the best news or the most unsettling.
"Dovahkiin resides in Solitude, under guard and lock and key. As Jarl, she will be hard to hunt out."
"Not even ramming into the Blue Palace and tearing it apart will get her?" I raise a brow, wondering how fast this guy wants his mark dead.
He shakes his head slowly. "I have things to do, Kril. Responsibilities. I must be there. Going to Solitude will draw their ire and their weapons. It is useless. I will win one way or another." His large head hovers above mine. "But you and the Vokun have little to do. You should both enter Solitude. Ensosin. Bewitch the Dragonborn and slay her before I return."
My lips thin. I stare this guy in the eye. It's still not comfortable, I still feel like I'm seconds away from being the second meal of the day, but Alduin doesn't hesitate. "Vokun will be there to make sure you do not stray from the path. Kill the Dragonborn and I give you Ulfric Stormcloak's head."
I tear a piece of the bread off with my teeth, trying so hard to appear calm. "I kill him though, remember? He's my kill. You don't take it."
Alduin levels his gaze with me and huffs his warm breath in my face. His nostrils flare. "I have not forgotten our transaction, Kril. Kill the Dragonborn and I get you to Ulfric Stormcloak."
"Why not take me there first?" I bargain. I know what his answer will be, but I have to try. Beggars can't be choosers as they say.
"Ulfric Stormcloak is hidden. Kept even more secret than Dovahkiin. You will kill Dovahkiin first. I will not take you to the Stormcloaks until I have her body cooling on this floor." His claws scrape against the harsh stone, making me wince.
"Why's she so important?" My voice is calm, almost a hushed whisper.
His mouth is right in my face. His putrid breath lining my nostrils. "Because, Kril, if Dovahkiin kills me first, you will die as well. Without Ulfric Stormcloak in a grave he will parade around the High King's death until his dying days. His legacy will be made and yours will be nothing more than the dust on the cave floor."
"I'm bound to you?" I swallow the bitter pill that's about to come.
"No. Who would keep an associate of mine alive? You will die, Kril and if you disobey me, I have told Vokun to steal you away."
His eyes raise and I turn my head to see Vivnasa grinning and tossing a giant soul gem in her hands. It's sparkly and clean, the insides not tarnished by some dirty ass soul. "Soul trap?"
Her eyes narrow. "More than that, Rune Allister. You go against our wishes, and I'll have your body strung up here while I play with your soul."
"Enough, Vokun. No threats to our friend. He understands the consequences." Alduin turns to me.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. Got it. So, I go into Solitude, butter up Elisif, kill her then Alduin gets me to Ulfric. I get my money and I'm out of this province. I'm truly free without a master, but there's just one thing. "I kill the Dragonborn and you set me free?"
Alduin's eyes glimmer. "I give Ulfric Stormcloak to you. After that, it is to be determined. But eventually, yes, you will be free."
He turns to take flight and I realize I was once again bamboozled. I never asked him what his goals were. What he wants after the Dragonborn is dead. All I have is this flimsy promise that I get my hands around the bastard's neck and watch the life bleed out of him.
"Come with me lover boy, I have to get you ready." Vivnasa purrs.
"For what?"
Her eyes run down my body slowly. "For the Blue Palace. Don't' tell me you thought you'd be able to go in like that? I need to get you all dolled up. A prince good enough for the Jarl."
"What?" I haven't had enough food so I'm slow to the chase now.
The Dunmer rolls her eyes so far, they go back in her head. Ouch. "She's newly widowed and highly co-dependent on her old husband. It's been all the talk of Solitude since Torygg's funeral. Advisors below her are looking for her next suitor. And you, charming assassin, are going to use that little rumor to get close to her."
My heart almost constricts in my chest. I haven't done a deep dive like this in a very long time. I used to do them until, like I said before, I got too careless in my curiosity and Astrid thought my assets were better used elsewhere. Instead of wooing my mark and getting close to them I was to hide in the shadows and wait to strike. But this if fine, they want me to kill in the most drawn out way possible, then I'll pay their game. As long as I know there's a light at the end of the long tunnel.
And the fact that Elisif's smile is enough to light up my chilled soul. Her warm, curving body next to mine in bed doesn't sound too bad. The food up with the higher nobles of Solitude is mouthwatering from what I remember. It was stale food from the trash, but if it was still that good days later, then damn. Sign me up. I keep my smile to myself as I let the Vokun lead me to the back room. Where I'll be dressed like the finest noble this side of Skyrim.
Elisif the Fair
I wished to be up there on the mountain when they put them to rest. Sybille, Falk and Bolgeir were adamant I stay here and not attend the Greybeard's funeral. They said that I would not be allowed to be present. That night, I kept my eyes on the horizon, right outside my window, knowing that up there on the mountain they were lighting a pyre. Just like with Torygg they would light it and sing. Then tell their stories and give them safe passage home. I have no idea who they worship but I wish the two souls' safe passage to the afterlife.
Memories of the dragon tearing into the monastery haunt my nightmares, only second to Torygg, being shouted to death in front of me. It's always the same. I run out into the rain covered courtyard of the Blue Palace and try to get to him. And every time I watch him fall, with Ulfric's dark form shadowed in the distance. He didn't even get close enough to make it a fair fight. If it were, I know my husband would have won.
That was my first apology to him. I told him I was sorry that he wasn't given a fair fight. But I know what he would have done. He would have kissed me on the forehead and pulled me close murmuring the words in my ear. "Life isn't always fair, why would a coward try to fight the way of the kings?"
A coward, indeed. I lie in bed, watching the clouds move in the sky above the hawks circling each other. It's entrancing. As if their feathers piercing the clouds are like solid blades. I watch them swirl, just enjoying the monotony of it all when the door slams open.
I jerk and sit up in my bed, my nightclothes pulled taught against my body. I rip up the covers to conceal myself further. I wasn't dressed indecently but if someone had gotten past the guards, it would be unbecoming of them to see a Jarl in a state of undress. I haven't been through the daily ritual of bathing, clothing, nor getting my makeup and hair done.
My paranoid mind must be pushing me to my breaking point. I haven't had a good night's sleep since Ulfric came through our front doors. And I haven't had a night without nightmares after the first dragon was slayed. I take in a shuddering, deep breath, to calm myself when I see familiar golden eyes and a man behind her running his hands through his fiery hair.
"Falk, Sybille, what is it? It's not even eight in the morning yet." My voice is so weak. I swallow again to get it stronger. I should have a glass of water nearby but one look at it and it's completely drained. I've been more parched in the past few weeks. Hungrier too. Sybille doesn't have to prod me to eat like she used to after the funeral. Now, she gives me a hint of smile at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when I finish every plate.
I must be getting stronger. Not in soul, but in body. I just wished I was more comfortable with it.
"It's time to rise early, Jarl. Apologies for the abrupt interruption. We have a full day ahead of us." Sybille stands in the center of my room with her hands behind her back. Falk waltzes to the other side and starts opening the curtains. I had many windows here, that was a concern to the guards, but I know there's at least three stationed below them. Sybille glances down at my small bed, her eyes trailing along the worn, wooden bedframe.
I know what she's thinking. Why would the Jarl choose this room? But she is compassionate. She knows I'm not ready to go back to the Jarl's Quarters just yet. It's been nearly a hundred and seven days since the funeral, and I don't yet have the heart for it.
Her gaze softens when she lands on mine. Her delicate hands trace the bedframe. "Bolgeir went to Ustengrav for the Horn. He would like to speak to you about his findings, they weren't what we were expecting."
I clear my throat, sit up a little straighter. Falk gives me an amused glance. "Of course, after you are presentable. He was eager to talk to you, but I told him if it wasn't an emergency, it could wait."
"Of course." I nod, if someone were in great peril, he would have alerted me the moment he got back.
"And." Sybille's hands tighten around the bedframe, a protective and daring glint to her eye. I know her well enough now to see when she disguises her displeasure. "There is a new suitor in Solitude, asking for your hand. I got word of it this morning."
Those words make my heart clench. My closest friends in this room can see the pain on my face. I won't mask it for them. I glance back out the window to the swirling hawks and I hate myself when I feel my bottom lip quiver. A sob breaks free in my chest, and I nearly pull the covers over me when someone lays down on the bed. Sybille's cool hands push my hair back, take the tears from my cheeks.
"I can tell him you're not interested at the moment." She says quietly.
"It's just that…" I pause as another sob takes me. "It's just that, the moment he's gone." I can't say my husband's name, or I won't be able to get out of bed. I've spent days sobbing here and staining the sheets in my tears. But after finding the new woman with the strange powers, I haven't felt the urge. I won't give in to it now. "The moment he's gone all anyone can do is talk about who I'll marry next. As if he were nothing to me. As if my wedding band was a passing fancy. They don't know this hurt." I place my hand over my still broken heart. Sybille's compassionate face blurs with the tears in my eyes.
"They don't know what it's like." Her voice grows dark. "They think the next day you'll get up and walk around like nothing happened. It's cruel." She wipes away another tear and I can see the light shining in her eyes, see the armor she wears for me. She was always my shield, the first person to come to my defense. Even with Bolgeir around, he never knew the inner workings of my mind like Sybille did. "But those who do understand don't knock on our doors. They don't spread rumors of men leaving your bedchamber late in the night. They know you're not ready."
"Then why do they keep asking?" I ask in a strained voice.
"Fodder. Gossip. You live in a city of immense wealth. With that, people have more time for frivolous things. Consider this one of them." She smiles faintly. "You think Torygg was able to dodge rumors? One time I had to go deal with someone who was saying he spent his free time with the maids."
My heart clenches further, that familiar rage of jealousy that reared its head when there was talk of my husband with another woman. As if he had looked at anyone else with the love he showed me. Sybille just laughs. "They were dealt with adequately." She licks her lips. "There were other rumors. That Torygg secretly had a cocoa addiction and made sure to have a new shipment of the beans each week."
I burst out laughing. "They weren't far from the mark. He loved his hot chocolate so."
She nods. "And to add insult to injury they said he had such a sweet tooth he would hide the chocolates from even the staff."
My smile grows wider. That was true. I did find chocolate bars stuffed all over the place. But Torygg always told me it was for a little break from his duties. "Maybe these rumors were true."
"Even if one is true, it doesn't mean another is as well. The last rumors I had to deal with were of Torygg's position in the Civil War. There was talk he had sold out to the Aldmeri Dominion."
While it was true, Torygg supported the White-Gold Concordat, he had his reasons. "Ulfric's use of force must have sealed those rumors."
"Ones I have dealt with." Sybille says a little harsher. She moves to sit on her knees and grasps my hands in her cold ones. "What I am saying is that as a Jarl, you must deal with these things. People will make assumptions. They will seem to think they know all about your life when they know nothing. They just need a reason to talk. A reason to fill their pathetic days."
"They could be using their time more wisely. Be more productive." I muse.
"Ah, but that would mean they have banished the daedra's from within themselves. The reason they talk is because they're unhappy."
"They have wealth."
Sybille smooths my hair out again. "They are complacent and entitled. Don't let them get to you. These are the first of the rumors you will experience as a Jarl, and they will not be the last. Once we get further into policy and regulations, they will sprout up again. I'm afraid these rumors of men coming to your room at night will be the nicest words out of their mouths."
I swallow. "I can face it." I think back on the day the dragon died. How my soul felt, well, alive. Even in the happiest moments in my life, spending days along the creek as a child with my mother, my wedding day to Torygg, the first time he said he loved me, somehow paled in comparison. If anything, that memory made my skin itch. Like it needed more. "Did Bolgeir find a word wall?"
Sybille grins. "That he did. Get ready and we can brief you more on his adventures."
I admit, if only to myself, that I know very little of politics and policies here. I am learning, but I am like a child trying to figure out complicated mathematic equations while everyone else is proficient. I don't let it trip me up. I just spend more time with Falk and Sybille in the libraries at night when I can. When I feel like it and the ache of mourning has lessened in my chest. Sometimes, it was better to have a few sips of ale and let it dull the edge of my own grief. Sybille frowned on it, but I had to catch up.
It was a careful game of cat and mouse. A careful, strategic chess game that most politicians played. Every word was a veiled threat, but if you knew where to look, you could root out what they were truly saying.
I was getting better at it. But it still felt like a whole other language to me. It was nothing like this note in my hand.
Dragonborn –
I need to speak to you. Urgently.
Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.
-A friend.
"It could be a trap." My housecarl says. He leans back in his velvet chair across from me in the drawing room near my current bedroom. Right after I bathed quickly, and Sybille dressed me, only applying small amounts of black charcoal and gold swoops on my eyelids, I showed up here. I smooth my hands over my elegant red dress, thinking back to what Bolgeir told me. He and his men had a successful mission to the ruins the Greybeards told us of. Yet, he did not find the Horn.
I frown. "If it were a trap why leave this?"
"It's a ploy to get you out in the open." He runs a hand through his dirty hair, smearing the smudges on his face. I was surprised to see him in such a dirty state. I thought he would have had the time to bathe before meeting me.
"Send someone there to ask them." I shrug. "It's settled."
Bolgeir nods. "I can. I was planning on it, but I wanted your input first."
My fingers brush the edges of the note. "What if they won't answer to someone else than me?"
"We bring them here then." He closes his eyes and stifles a yawn.
"It won't be a worry then."
"I'll send Caius there. He's the closest. His men can go see what's going on and they'll get back to me by the end of the day."
I place the note next to me on the table and take a long drink of water. I hope Bolgeir doesn't see the way my hand shakes. "You seem tired."
He only grunts. "Sybille said I needed to brief you and stay here."
"Oh," I say softly. "You know about it."
"Yeah, I scouted his carriage while I was waiting for you. He's a little too polished if you catch what I'm saying. A little too squeaky clean. I don't like it." His eyes snap open, flaring to life. "I won't let him mess with you. I wanted you to get a good look at him first."
I swallow. "He is wealthy, he is apparently from a long line of nobles. I doubt he wishes me harm."
"You never know, could be an alias." Bolgeir grunts.
I pick up the other paper lying on the table and read the contents. Rune Forester of Markarth. Son of Julius Forester and Amaya Forester.
The last names meant little to me. I couldn't pinpoint a noble by name even if my life depended on it. And that weakness was working against me now. But I had a good shield with me. "Did he seem trustworthy? Personable, I mean."
Bolgeir shrugs. His heavy armor clangs against the chains below it. "Seemed fine to me. Seemed like a smooth talker."
I'm about to reprimand him for making such judgements without knowing him. Even though, I know deep down that he is doing it out of the goodness of his heart. And he's doing it to protect me. But before I can say a word the door opens on the far side of the room.
A dark elf with a green dress and long dark blue hair walks in. She bows lowly and motions behind her, without saying a word. Because I don't need them to know this is Rune Forester at my door.
The man with the tall, muscular body and forest green eyes. The lips that looked pillowy soft and slightly pink from the chill, last I saw him. His reddish hair that slicks back now. It's not tousled and erratic like before.
The note in my hand sails to the floor when he gives me a wide grin. But I beat him to the punch. "I know you." I say, surprised with how strong my voice is. Bolgeir sits up at attention, his palm on the hilt of his sword.
And that is the moment Rune's eyes shutter and I see the darkness brewing beneath the façade.